President Biden is facing a bipartisan backlash after he ordered the bombing of a facility in Syria allegedly used by an Iran-allied militia on Thursday.
It was the first overseas attack ordered by Biden, and his administration said it was intended to deter future attacks on US forces in Iraq. But he quickly faced criticism from left-wing Democrats and libertarian and conservative Republicans.
“I am strongly against interference from @POTUS in Syria. I can think of better ways to ensure that no one can attack our US forces in Iraq. Stop the endless wars, ” wrote Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Wrote, “We cannot stand up for Congressional approval for military strikes only if there is a Republican president. The government should have asked Congress for permission here. We have to work to get out of the Middle East, not to escalate. “
Several members of Congress highlighted a 2017 tweet from White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who criticized an airstrike on Syria at the behest of then-President Donald Trump.
Psaki wrote at the time, “What is also the legal authority for strikes? Assad is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country. “
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) Recirculated Psaki’s tweet, to write, “Big question.”
Rep. Joked Jim Banks (R-Ind.), “There’s a tweet for everything …”, which was a frequent comment from anti-Trump Twitter users.
Her. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) Tweeted, “I condemn the interference in the Syrian civil war. I also condemn attacking a sovereign nation without authority. What authority does @POTUS have to attack Syria? Maybe someone should be asking @PressSec today? “
The attack took place hours before Biden issued a statement condemning Russia for violating “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Ukraine seven years ago during the annexation of Crimea.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) Mocked Biden’s campaign poster with bombs raining down and tweeted, “Priorities …”
Biden’s Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, told reporters Thursday night that the attack was in retaliation for a February 15 missile strike on a US military base at Erbil International Airport in Northern Iraq, which killed a US contractor and injured a US soldier.
Historically, military strikes have been popular with the leaders of both political parties in Congress, although few have made public comments about the strike.
No. 2 House Democrat Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), However, praised Biden’s move.
Today’s air strike demonstrates President Biden’s determination to prevent Iran from targeting US personnel and allies with impunity. It was a strong act that will certainly send a signal to Tehran that our country will not oppose destabilizing actions by its troops or its proxies, ”said Hoyer.
Many critics of Biden’s bombing in Syria welcomed his decision earlier this month to end US involvement in Yemen’s long-running civil war.
Biden gave the mandate last month to “get full visibility” on proposed air strikes and drone strikes, the White House said this week.
On January 20, and clarified on February 19, President Biden issued new interim guidelines regarding the use of military force by the United States and related national security operations. The justification for issuing the interim guidelines is to ensure that the president has full visibility into proposed key measures in these areas, ”pending further assessment, said White House National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne.
Although Trump repeatedly said he would remove US troops from Syria, hundreds remain after generals persuade him to leave them to guard oil facilities. The US began its intervention in the Syrian Civil War when Biden was vice president.